Improvement in harvester-rakes



UNITED STATES PATENT FFIGE.

HENRY F. PHILLIPS, OF AUBURN, NEV YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTER-RAKES.

Specification forming part oi Letters Patent No. 86,178, dated January26, 1869.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that l, HENRY F. PHILLirs, of Auburn, in the county of Cayugaand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Reel-Rakes for Harvesting-Machines, and that the following is a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-Figure l represents a perspective view of the reel-rake and so much of aharvesting-machine as will illustrate the operation of said rake. Fig. 2represents a vertical section through the gear-stand, the rakes beingomitted. Fig. 3 represents a top view of the gearplate, and Fig. 4Lrepresents a top view of the cam-plate and its latch or switch and ot'the pulley below it. Figs. 5 and 6 represent details of the rake-movin gdevices not so clearly shown in the other figures.

Similar letters of reference, where they occur in the separate figures,denote like parts in all of the drawings.

My invention relates to what is termed a reel-rakeL-that is, a series ofrevolving and rising-and-fallin g rakcs, that also perform the duty of areel by drawing the standing grain to the cutters, where it is severedfrom the stubble, and then the rakes, at the will of the operator, sweepoff the grain onto the ground in a gavel, and out of the way of thereturn swath; and my invention consists in the construction andcombination of parts by which the above results are attained, and whichwill be hereinafter more ininutely described, and particularly set forthin the claims.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe the same with reference to the drawings.

A represents l[he grain table or platform of a harvestingmachine, and Bthe outside divider thereon.

Upon the inner front corner of the platform is arranged a pillar orsupport, C, in whichis set a vertical fixed spindle, D, for supportingthe pulley E and driving-plate F, to which the pulley is keyed orattached, so that they shall turn together.

The cam-plate G is stationary, being held by the arms H, the hub I ofsaid arms being permanently attached to the pillar C, or held by aset'screw, as at J.

The upper portion of the drivingplate F is simply a rim with a largeinterior opening, and this portion of the plate carries the studs K, forsupporting the rakes laterally against the resistance of the grain, andalso carries the trigger L, for setting the switch in the camway ofthecamplate for causing one of the series of rakes to clear the platform ofthe cut grain, and further forms a support for the springs M under therake-stales, the particular duties of all of which will be describedhereinafter.

On what may be termed a centra-l portion of the driving-plate F-viz.,that portion between the rim above mentioned and the pulley E-isarranged a series of lugs, N, to which are pivoted, respectively, by thepins a., the rake-arms O, to which the rake stale or handle is bolted,one to each, said arms being of metal, and furnished with a segmentalgear, b, Fig. 5. The wood portions l? of the rakes are bolted to thesesegment rake-arms O.

In recesses or guideways c c formed in the driving-plate are laid racksQ., Fig. 6, each rack having projecting below it a stud andfriction-roller, R, said roller passing through an opening, d, in theworking plate, and extending down so as to work in the camways S S' inthe cam-plate Gr, and the stud e is made sided, so as to fit nicely andmove freely through the opening d as the roller runs in the camways.

In the camway S there is a switch, T, pivoted at f, and operated fromthe exterior by a lever, U, automatically by the trigger L every time itcomes around and against said lever U; or the trigger may be removed anda cord attached to the lever by its hole g or otherwise, and extendingto the driver, who can operate it at his will, and make any one of theseries of rakes that he chooses take the inner camway, S, and cause thatone of the series to rake the grain from the platform, while all theothers, unless similarly directed by the driver, act as reels to draw inthe grain to the cutters and then pass around above the platform.

The moving of the lever U in the direction of the arrow there shownopens the switch T,

and causes the roller of the rst rake that comes around to take thecamway S, and thus moving its rack more toward the center of motion, anddrawing the forward part of the rake down eloserto the platform. Whenthe roller has passed the switch andl camway S a spring, h, moves thelever U, which, in turn, closes the switch, and the rollers of the otherfollowing rakes taking the camway S' do not draw down the rakes, andthus they only act as beaters or reels.

The more the racks slide toward the center of motion of the reel-rakesthe more they (the rakes) are drawn down, and, per contra, the fartherthe racks are from the center of motion the higher the rakes are raisedor remain.

Each rake has underneath it a spring, M, which performs three duties:First, kit eases its rake from jar when dropping from its more verticalposition 5 second, it tends, through the segment and-rack, to cause itsroller to follow the cam-path S by crowding it against the outer ange ofthe camway, and thus easily passing the switch; and, thirdly, it startsits rake into its upward position, which is completed `by the slidingrack.

The switch V is merely to form one side of the camway S when aroller ispassing through that way, and to keep said roller in its proper path.This switch needs no closing device, as the next roller that comesaround takes the camway S', and, rolling against the switch, pushes itshut.

The cam-plate Gr and the driving-plate F are so located with regard tothe cutting-line of the machine as that the rakes, when about to draw`in the grain to the cutters, shall drop low enough to insure theirbringing it into the cutters, and as soon as the rakes, or rather suchof them as act as reels, pass the cutter, they rise up and pass over theplatform without touching the cut grain upon it, and all of them beforethey reach the main frame still farther rise up and into a more verticalposition, so as, in their circuit, not to interfere with the main frameor the driver riding thereon; or the rakes may be allowed to drop alittle below the plane of the cutters and in advance of them, andapproach the cutters by a sweeping and upwardly-rising motion, so as tolift up the grain in advance of the cutters.

The pitch of the cam-ledge at i, Fig. 4, which is nearerto the center ofmotion than at any other part of said ledge, allows the rakes to droplower at that than at any other point in the beat of the cam, and fromthat point the rakes gradually rise, as above mentioned.

In addition to the three duties above mentioned that the springs M undereach of the rakes perform, there is afourth and important one, asfollows: They prevent the rake-teeth from dropping into the cutters bytaking up all the slack or lost motion.

The tracks or camways S S are formed by or inclosed Vbetween the wallsor flanges j j and the switches T V and their abutment W, all of whichare in vertical planes parallel to each other. A

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim therein as new,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a driving or working plate that carries a seriesof pivoted or hinged rakes with a cogged segment on their hubs, thesliding rakes, working in or with said segment, for raising and loweringsaid. rakes, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. In combination with the working plate and its cogged rake-hubs andracks, the stationary cam-plate, with its camways and switch, when afriction-roll or its equivalent on each of the racks extends into and isoperated by said camways, Y substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

3. In combination with the rakes, the springs underneath them, whensaidsprings serve not only to prevent the jar of the rakesV when dropping,but also hold the friction-rolls of their respective racks out againstthe wall of the camway, to cause the rakes to properly pass over thetable or platform, and prevent the rake-teeth from dropping into thecutters by taking up all the slack or lost motion, substantially asdescribed.

4. In combination with the track or caniways and the switches placedtherein, which give the rakes their risiu g-and-fallin g motion, thearranging of the walls or flanges of said camways and switches invertical planes par allel to each other, substantially as described andrepresented. y

HENRY F. PHILLIPS. Witnesses:

HORACE T. Coon, WM. H. STnvENsoN.

